|
|
|
Battle of Guadalcanal
The Battle of Guadalcanal took place from 7 August 1942 to 9 February 1943 in the southern Solomon Islands between Japanese and Allied land, air, and naval forces. Although named only for the island of Guadalcanal, the battle was actually a wider one that also encompassed multiple engagements across several other islands in the Solomon archipelago and in various ocean passages among and around those islands. It was the first large-scale offensive operation mounted by the Allies against Japan in the Pacific, and it resulted in an Allied victory. The naval engagements included both British and American ships, but fighting on the ground and in the air was conducted almost exclusively by American units.
Strategically, the outcome of the battle served Allied defensive and offensive goals. Defensively, it checked the Japanese advance into the Solomons that threatened Australia and New Zealand and, more generally, it marked the turning-point in Allied efforts to halt Japan’s military expansion in the Pacific. After Guadalcanal, Japan was essentially on the defensive throughout the region. Offensively, the battle established a critically important forward land base that Allied forces would use to begin pushing the Japanese back from the southwestern and central Pacific.
The six-month-long battle was intense, vicious, and bloody and often fought at close quarters. In addition, the fighting strength of both sides was greatly reduced by the incidence of tropical diseases like malaria and dengue fever. Allied casualties (killed, wounded, captured, died of disease) totaled approximately 15,000; Japanese casualties totaled more than 19,000. Naval and aircraft losses were also heavy: the Allies lost 29 vessels and 615 aircraft; the Japanese lost 38 ships and 683 aircraft.
Main (regiment-level and higher) Allied ground units participating in the battle:
- 1st Marine Division (1st, 5th, 7th, and 11th Marine Regiments)
- 2nd Marine Division (2nd, 6th, 8th, and 10th Marine Regiments)
- 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division (132nd, 164th, and 182nd Infantry Regiments, 244th Coast Artillery Regiment)
- 147th Infantry Regiment (attached to the 23rd Division)
- 25th Infantry Division (27th, 35th, 161st Infantry Regiments)
- British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force
Main (regiment-level and higher) Japanese ground units participating in the battle:
- 2nd Infantry Division (4th, 16th, 29th Infantry Regiments, 2nd Artillery Regiment)
- 38th Infantry Division (228th, 229th, 230th Infantry Regiments, 38th Mountain Gun Regiment)
- 35th Brigade (124th Infantry Regiment, 4th Artillery Regiment)
- 28th Infantry Regiment
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
|
Those known to have fought in Battle of Guadalcanal during the Second World War 1939-1945. The names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please
Add a Name to this List
|
|
|
The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
Announcements
- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
- The Wartime Memories Project has been running for 25 years. If you would like to support us, a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting and admin or this site will vanish from the web.
- 18th Dec 2024 - Please note we currently have a huge backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
265120 your information is still in the queue, please do not resubmit, we are working through them as quickly as possible.
- Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please read our Family History FAQs
- The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors. If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the War? Our
Library contains an ever growing number diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text. |
|
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to WW2. We would like to obtain digital copies of any documents or photographs relating to WW2 you may have at home. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them.
The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
World War 1 One ww1 wwII second 1939 1945 battalion
Did you know? We also have a section on The Great War. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
|
|
Want to know more about Battle of Guadalcanal? There are:0 items tagged Battle of Guadalcanal available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Second World War. |
|
Sea. Wilhelm Louis Guttormsen USS Boise My dad, Wilhelm Guttormsen served with the US Navy in the Pacific, first on the light cruiser USS Boise and then, after Guadalcanal, on the submarine USS Toro.
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
|
|
